Prime First Reads | The Darkest Flower

 

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I am so pleased to announce that a Prime First Reads book this month did not suck! In fact, this book was deliciously twisty.

I love unreliable narrators and I wouldn't necessarily call Kira that because she is very upfront with the reader about who she is, but she is definitely a sociopath.

I like that the book was told in alternating perspectives: Kira's and Alison Barton's, the attorney she hires to defend her.

The budding romance between Alison and her opposing council added a touch of sweetness to this dark story. Not that the story needed to have anything sweet added to it, but it was enough without going overboard.

I knew fairly early on who the wanna-be killer was, but I didn't know the how or why. As it turns out, I didn't know who the intended victim actually was. That made for an insanely malicious twist I was not expecting but should have.

Character development was well-done, even the secondary characters. None of the PTA moms blended together, they all had their own voices and stood out. The author did a great job in shining a spotlight on every single one who had the motive and opportunity - and access to the means - to attempt to murder a fellow PTA Mom.

It is a lightweight in terms of the legalese and courtroom time, which was fine with me. Definitely not a legal thriller if that is what you are looking for.

Kira remains intriguing. She's a terrible person, no question about it. She has quite a bit of depth though, and is incredibly well-developed. We see quickly how her childhood shaped her and her outlook. She has no issues whatsoever with going after what she thinks her children deserve, all while internally complaining about them. She will not only push boundaries, but she walks confidently up to them with a sledgehammer and smashes them to pieces.

This is book one in a new series, so I may be looking for others in the future. Hopefully they live up to this one!